The Saint of the Academy
“Don’t you people have a conscience?”
“Ah…!”
The man who looked like a forest elf—someone I never imagined I’d actually meet—stared at Eloa. Just as she had imagined, his eyes were a deep blue. Like the sea, or perhaps a lake. Gazing into them made her feel as if she were being drawn inside. Oh no, I stared too long.
The nameless elf-like man tilted his head in confusion.
“Sob… I’m so sorry for disturbing your rest. It’s just… I was hoping you could tell me the way…”
Eloa hastily wiped away her tears. But the man before her simply looked back at her with a troubled expression.
“Actually, this is my first time at the Academy too, so I’m afraid I don’t know the way very well.”
She had naturally assumed he was a member of the faculty. Eloa stammered in embarrassment.
“I-I’m sorry! You were standing here, so I thought you must be a professor…”
“Haha. I suppose I do look a bit old.”
“No, not at all! You don’t look old in the slightest!”
Eloa shook her head frantically.
“Thank you for saying that.”
He smiled at her. It was nothing special, yet it was more than enough to make Eloa’s heart race. His aura was on a completely different level from the country boys back in her village. The boys she knew—Kain and Noel—had always been too busy teasing or playing pranks on her.
The elf-like man gently patted her on the shoulder.
“You were crying earlier. Did something happen?”
“It’s… it’s nothing, really.”
“You can tell me. I have a younger sister about your age, you see.”
He smiled brightly.
“She plays a lot of pranks, but she’s a good kid.”
Who is she? For a moment, Eloa felt a pang of envy toward that unknown sister.
“When she’s having a hard time, she talks to me. By the way, what’s your name…?”
“It’s Eloa. Just… Eloa…”
Eloa felt a little ashamed that she had no family name. He probably had a proud, noble surname. Originally, she might have felt the sting of her inferior status, but right now—
“Eloa. If you’re going through something difficult, please tell me.”
But he didn’t seem to care about any of that. He simply met her eyes. The moment she looked into them, all the hardships she had endured so far—the discrimination from the guards—rose up in her mind like soft clouds.
“If I can just find the right path, I’ll be fine…”
Her conscience wouldn’t allow it. No matter what, she wasn’t so shameless as to cry and complain in front of a complete stranger.
“Then shall we wait here together?”
“Yes…”
“A professor who’s looking for me should arrive soon.”
Eloa quietly sat down on the grassy patch where he had been lying. The blades of grass were a little prickly, but not unpleasant. They had been warmed by the sunlight and felt cozy. He lay back down on the grass and closed his eyes again.
“You should rest a little too, Eloa. Isn’t the entrance exam starting soon?”
“How did you know?”
“At this time of year, who else would come here except students taking the exam?”
“Ah…”
I shouldn’t have said that. Her face flushed bright red like a cherry. She tried to hide her burning cheeks, but he simply gazed up at the sky without paying it any mind. A cool breeze blew through the park. Is this what it feels like to be with an elf? She had heard stories. Forest spirits. They rarely appeared, so few people ever saw them, but she knew they were a mysterious and warm race.
Maybe this person is actually an elf. Golden hair, blue eyes. And…
“The smell of grass…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing!”
Eloa had accidentally spoken her inner thoughts out loud. How embarrassing! Sniffing a stranger’s scent and then blurting out what it smelled like right in front of him. As Eloa was drowning in shame—
“Lumian!”
“Lady Ophelia.”
“Took me a while. Hm? Who’s this girl?”
Eloa desperately tried to commit the man’s name to memory as it left the unknown woman’s lips.
“This is Eloa. It seems she got lost on her way to the entrance exam.”
“Aha. Is that true?”
“Yes…”
The woman ruffled Eloa’s pink hair, messing it up completely.
“Ugh…!”
“Getting lost on the very first day? What a troublemaker.”
“I’m sorry…!”
“The path is that way. Go past that building, turn into the alley, and you’ll get there quickly.”
“Ah! Thank you so much.”
“Off you go, then.”
She and Lumian walked past Eloa and headed toward another building. The two of them passed her as if she didn’t even exist in their eyes.
As expected… We really do live in different worlds.
The fact that Lumian had spoken to her must have been nothing more than a kind gesture toward a pitiful commoner. Nothing more, nothing less. She stared blankly at their retreating backs.
“If I become stronger…”
Could I stand beside a man like him?
If I succeed at the Academy, I can do anything.
That’s what her mother had said. If you succeed at the Academy, you can become anything. Maybe then she could stand proudly beside a wonderful man like him.
“Let’s do this!”
While imagining her future with Lumian, Eloa hurriedly ran toward the examination hall.
*
Why on earth is she here?
Just looking at that pink-haired idiot made my head throb. In the original novel, Eloa had a terrible sense of direction, which was why I had deliberately sat her next to me so she couldn’t wander off. If she got lost and missed the entrance exam, the story wouldn’t even be able to begin.
Eloa, you need to gather all the male leads and defeat the Demon King together. Who else could possibly wrangle those foul-tempered bastards if not you?
Besides, Eloa wasn’t supposed to get lost on her way here. Originally, she was meant to meet the Crown Prince by chance before arriving and have him guide her to the exam hall. I don’t know what happened that caused her to miss him, but at least she would still make it to the testing site. That was a relief.
Eloa wasn’t particularly strong, but she wasn’t particularly weak either. Passing the Academy entrance exam shouldn’t be too difficult for her.
Still, seeing her tears reminded me of Serian, so I tried to offer her a bit of comfort. But when I noticed she was holding back from speaking, I shut my mouth as well. Maybe it was because I stayed lying down and staring at the sky, but she didn’t try to talk to me anymore. There was no point in getting involved with her anyway.
The moment Ophelia arrived, I quickly handed Eloa over to her and retreated.
“Flirting with a girl the second I show up?”
“Please stop joking.”
“I’m not joking. With your looks, Lumian, handling young girls should be easy. If you actually tried, wouldn’t they line up for you?”
She wasn’t wrong about me being good with kids. The skills I’d gained while raising Serian probably would have qualified me to be a kindergarten teacher in my previous life.
“They’re barely adults. What would I even…”
“Since when has age ever mattered in love?”
Ophelia grinned mischievously at me.
“Are you going to end up charming all the female students in a line?”
She was clearly just teasing me on purpose. While chatting with Ophelia, we arrived in front of the principal’s office.
“What exactly are we doing in there?”
“An interview, I suppose? Since it’s Special Admission. I don’t know the exact process either.”
Isn’t that a little too irresponsible? At the very least, she should have told me how many interview rounds there were, whether there was a second round, or if there would be a practical exam. But honestly, it was better this way. If there was an interview instead of automatic admission, I could just pretend to do my best while deliberately failing spectacularly. That would be the end of it.
Thanks to contracting with Anemoi, things had gone a little off track, but I still had another chance. In my previous life, I had already failed more than ten interviews. Even if I somehow passed the document screening by bad luck, I could always ruin it during the interview. Since I was already here, I would do my absolute best to fail.
*
When I opened the door and stepped inside, three people were waiting. The one in the middle had to be Kronesia Academy’s principal, Erderon. His appearance practically screamed, I am an archmage who has lived through the ages.
The person on the left was probably Aurora, the dedicated professor for Class A of the swordsmanship track—the main focus of the novel’s story that Eloa belonged to. The one on the right, judging by her attire, appeared to be the alchemy professor.
“So you’re Lumian?”
“Hello. My name is Lumian Cardion.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Ophelia. Hehe. Please, take a seat here.”
Following their guidance, I sat down in the chair in front of them. Principal Erderon scribbled something on the paper before him a few times, then looked at me.
“According to Ophelia, you have formed a contract with the Sky Swordsman, Lady Anemoi.”
Erderon’s eyes sparkled, but I answered without flinching.
“I was simply lucky enough to contract with Lady Anemoi. There is nothing special about me at all.”
“Hmm…”
No matter how much I insisted I wasn’t special, they clearly wouldn’t believe me. After all, I had become a Spirit User contracted with none other than the heroine’s spirit, the Sky Swordsman Anemoi.
“The reason we called you here is nothing complicated. You’ve heard about Special Admission from Ophelia, correct?”
No. I know absolutely nothing. Ophelia had never properly explained what Special Admission actually was. What even is it? The term had never appeared in the original novel either.
“I haven’t heard any detailed explanation.”
“Hmm. It seems Ophelia didn’t explain it to you.”
“She didn’t tell me anything about it.”
“That does sound like something Ophelia would do.”
Instead of glaring at me, he nodded as if thinking about Ophelia. The woman who looked like the alchemy professor simply yawned while staring out the window, and the swordsmanship professor Aurora gazed at me steadily. Only Principal Erderon looked at me with warm eyes.
“There’s nothing particularly special about Special Admission. It’s simply a way to give opportunities to those who would normally be unable to enroll or who face difficult circumstances.”
He explained the details of Special Admission. It was for commoners who lacked the money, races restricted from enrolling, or people like me who were too old. A special track for such individuals.
“I see.”
“Indeed. There hasn’t been a Special Admission in recent years, but this time it was made possible at Ophelia’s suggestion.”
“After hearing about Special Admission, I feel this seat is not meant for me.”
“Hm? Why do you think that?”
Principal Erderon looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“You are over the age limit for normal enrollment, and as a Spirit User, you meet the conditions perfectly.”
Over the age limit? Don’t rub salt in the wound. You look way older than me.
“Principal.”
“Yes?”
“I am a noble.”
“Yes, I know. Why are you stating the obvious?”
“What I mean is that I already enjoy more than enough privileges.”
He stared at me with interest. I wasn’t sure if this was an interview or a speech, but I passionately explained all the reasons why I shouldn’t be here. I just want to go home.
“Even now, this Academy does not provide enough opportunities for commoners.”
At my words, they all fell silent. It took an enormous amount of money for a commoner to enter the Academy. For an ordinary commoner to seize that chance, even selling their entire family’s assets often wasn’t enough. Most commoners who did attend were either children of wealthy merchants or had connections to nobility.
“Some parents pour every last coin into their children, burdening them with debt. Others cannot learn even if they want to because of racial differences.”
It wasn’t even an incorrect statement. In the original novel, the commoner status was used as a device to give Eloa special traits, but this was reality. Aside from Eloa, the Academy wasn’t giving commoners any real opportunities.
“I do not desperately need this chance, but there are other children who have dreams.”
I shot up from my seat and shouted at the professors before me. Can you hear my cry?
“I have a family and a future waiting for me.”
“But there are friends for whom the Academy is their first and last opportunity.”
I clutched my chest as if in pain. Don’t you feel sorry for them? Please leave someone like me—a useless drone—alone and help those children instead.
“I do not need this opportunity.”